The development of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) is currently facing the challenge of ensuring the highest quality and efficiency in ever shorter development cycles. A key factor in this is virtual validation, which makes it possible to test complex functions at an early stage and independently of physical hardware.
FORVIA HELLA, together with dSPACE, has impressively demonstrated how this approach can work in practice: A fully operational virtual ECU (V-ECU) environment for a level 3 radar sensor was created in just eight weeks. It is based on the original embedded software and can be used directly in existing test benches. This has set a milestone that fundamentally changes classic hardware-dependent development.
Virtual Validation of a Radar-Based Driver Assistance System
At FORVIA HELLA, the task was to continuously test and validate a driver assistance system that makes decisions based on radar data throughout development. For the software-oriented development and test phase, the application was transferred to a virtual ECU (V-ECU, virtual electronic control unit, Level 3) instance to run the complete software without physical hardware.
Communication with other virtualized components took place via virtual mappings of the Ethernet topologies. To ensure realistic tests, recorded radar measurements from real test drives were used as input data to reproduce real-life scenarios in the simulation environment.
Can all relevant components be virtualized at an early stage?
The technical realization was carried out on the dSPACE VEOS platform, which provides a flexible and powerful environment for virtual ECUs. The V-ECU ran on a standard Linux PC and completely reproduced the real control unit software of the HELLA radar sensor.
The process was clearly structured: First, the software was extracted from the series project and modularized. All relevant components – such as the radar data processing chain, communication interfaces, diagnostic functions, and security-critical modules such as secure boot and authentication – were virtualized.
The next step was integration into VEOS. The individual software modules were integrated as executable files and configured using dSPACE ControlDesk. A virtual Ethernet topology established the connection to other control units, enabling the V-ECU to be embedded in a realistic system environment.
Complex System Tests were Possible Without Hardware
The V-ECU was then integrated into a comprehensive simulation environment. The connection was established using the open-source API Co-Sim from dSPACE. A co-simulation client was developed via the API, which connects to VEOS, exchanges signals, synchronizes the simulation process, and provides functions for starting, stopping, and controlling the simulation as well as for reading and writing variables via the C++ library veos-cosim-client. This allowed the FORVIA HELLA simulation environment RAST to be integrated into the VEOS environment to carry out complex system tests without hardware.
This made it possible to map typical test scenarios completely virtually. These included a radar target simulator that generated synthetic objects with defined position, speed, and reflectivity, as well as ADAS function models that processed the object data for collision warnings. The setup was supplemented by diagnostic testers that enabled access to onboard diagnostic functions via Unified Diagnostic Services (UDS) using DoIP (Diagnostics over Internet Protocol).
Saving time during development? The Results Were Convincing
The advantages of this approach were impressive. The development time to test readiness was reduced by more than 60 percent. The early integration into CI/CD pipelines enabled daily regression tests, which significantly accelerated quality assurance.
In addition to the cost savings, there were other advantages. One of these was that the combination of the simulations here made it possible to integrate the performance simulations of the sensor with the non-performance level (e.g., from AUTOSAR). This led to more thorough tests and an improved analysis of possible unintended effects.
The cost savings were significant: The elimination of physical prototypes and test setups saved us tens of thousands of euros, and even complicated tests could be carried out without vehicle hardware.
High Scalability and Early Protection
The solution also offers high scalability. The V-ECU can be run in parallel on several test systems and is therefore ideal for software-in-the-loop scenarios and continuous integration. Particularly valuable is the ability to secure critical functions such as cybersecurity mechanisms before real hardware is available, further increasing the security and reliability of the systems.
Game Changer in the Areas of Time, Costs, and Quality
The project is a prime example of the future of automotive development. The combination of FORVIA HELLA expertise and dSPACE technology shows how virtual validation not only drastically shortens development times, but also reduces costs and increases quality. This approach clearly demonstrates how quickly, efficiently, and future-oriented modern processes can be designed – a real game changer for the industry.
With the kind permission of FORVIA HELLA
dSPACE MAGAZINE, PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2025
